Railroad-car seat



(No Model.)

P. J. MULLEN. RAILROAD CAR SEAT.

Patented July 1, 18 90.

//v VN TOR 5 Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER J. MULLEN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILROAD-CAR SEAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,147, dated July 1, 1890.

Application filed January 21, 1889. Serial No. 297,077- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, PETER J. MULLEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-0ar Seats, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention particularly relates to railroad-car and other seats in whichthe back is reversible as to the seat.

The main object of the invention is to adapt the back of the seat for use, if so desired, as a table or shelf by the occupant of the seat next behind.

To the end stated under this invention the reversible back of the seat at its rear side is provided with upper and lower closing lids, each at one edge, the lower of the upper lid and the upper of the lower lid hinged to the back to be swung thereon, and thereby opened for use as a table or shelf and opened to have a rest at its hinged edge on the edge of the other lid, in combination with spring-catches or other such like devices, and stay-rods applied to the opposite ends of and held on the lids and back to support, in co-operation with the rest of the lid at its hinged edge, as above stated, the lid when opened and to be movable in and out with the lid in opening and closing it, all as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective view, on a reduced scale, of a railroad-car seat havinga back of the construction of this invention. Fig. 2 is a similar View to Fig. 1, but showing the lid of the upper section of the back opened from the back for use as a table or shelf. Fig. 3 is an enlarged central transverse section from front to rear of the carseat of Figs. 1 and 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail sectional views of the stay-rods and spring-catches, respectively, and as will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings, A A are the two end supports or stands.

B is the seat.

0 is the back, and D is an arm (one only shown,) one secured to each end of the back and both pivoted to the end supports A A, all so that the back may be reversed in position as to the seat and otherwise, as well known, and of itself forming no part of this invention. The back O at its rear side and from end to end is divided into upper and lower sections or chambers E F.

G G are upper and lower lids for the sections E F of the back and closed fitting within them. The upper lid at its lower edge and the lower lid at its upper edge are hung by hinges J J to the back and said edges are contiguous, and either lid opened from the back has a rest by its hinged edge on the hinged edge of the otherlid. (See Figs. 3 and 5.) Both lids G G closed, the back then differs in no material respect as to appearance or otherwise from the back, as ordinarily constructed of car-seats.

Each lid G is opened and closed by swinging it on its hinges, and in opening itswings outward from, and in closing it swings inward toward, the back.

K K, Fig. 4C, are sliding springcatches of ordinaryconstruction-two on eachlid G-and located at opposite end portions and at the edge L of lid opposite to its hinged edge H. Each springcatch K has a projecting knob M for convenience in operating it, and both catches are preferably mortised in the lid.

N N are lugs fixed to the frame of the back and in position each to be engaged by aspringcatch K, and the catches engaged secure the lids in their closed position. O O are stay-rodsone at each end of each lid. Every stay-rod 0 curves regularly from end to end and concentrically with the axes of swing of its lid. Again, each stay-rod O at one end is secured to the lid, and at its other and free end it is entered into a sinrilar1y-curving tube P, which is attachedto the back and projects from the front side and otherwise in a direction therefrom for the stay-rod to move to and fro through it, as the lid to which the stay-rod is attached is swung to be opened or closed upon, as the case may be, the back.

A continuous tube P is used for the stayrods 0 at the same end of both lids, and each stay-rod at its free end, Fig. 5, base. lip a and the tube a shoulder b,.each to engage the other, and relatively arranged to engage when the lid has been opened and brought to a position horizontally, or nearly so, and thereby to support the lid, and otherwise to offer no 4 obstruction to movement of the stay-rod in the tube when the lid is being closed.

From the above it is plain that an occupant of a seat next back of a seat having its back constructed with lids to be opened and closed as described, and in either position of the back as to the seat belonging thereto, can readily provide a. table or shelf for his use, as may be wished, by simply releasing the hinged lid of the then upper section of the back of the seat in front of him and then swinging it down into position, where the stay-rods O, in co-operation with its rest at its hinged edge on the hinged edge of the other lid, firmly support it, and all without strain on its hinges or their fastenings.

Each section of the back of the seat may, if desired, be covered with advertisements, as for illustration, at the spaces Q, which are exposed when the lid of the section is opened, and the same is true of the surface Q of the lid, which is uppermost when the lid is opened.

Sliding spring-bolts may be substituted for the spring-catches, if so desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a railroad-car and other seat, a back reversible as to the seat, and upper and lower sections G G, closing within the back and hinged to the back along the central line thereof, and either lid when opened resting at its hinged edge on the hinged edge of the other lid, in combination, with means, such as a spring-oatch,held on each lid and the back to secure the lids closed and to allow them to be opened, and stay-rods, one at the opposite ends of and held on each lid and the back and movable in and out with the lid in opening and closing it, substantially as described, for the purposes specified. 4

2. In a railroad-car and other seat having a back reversible as to the seat, the combination of upper and lower opening and closing lids G G, each separately hinged tothe back and each adapted in opening to swing toward and in closing toswing away from the other, means, such as spring-catches, applied to the lid and back to secure the lid to the back when the lid is closed and to be released to allow the lid to be opened from the back, a stay rod or rods curving regularly from end to end concentrically with the axis of swing of and at one end attached to the lid and at the other end free, and a tube or tubes attached to and projecting from the front of the back and curved similarly to said stay rod or rods and having the free ends of the stay-rods entered into them and adapted relatively to be engaged and to allow the rods to slide through them, substantially as described, for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

PETER J. MULLEN. Witnesses:

ALBERTW. BROWN, FRANCES M. BROWN. 

